A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Monstrous Lair #17: Witch’s Hovel

Monstrous Lair #17: Witch’s Hovel by Steve Hood is a role playing game supplement published by Raging Swan Press. The supplement is stated to be system neutral, but also compatible with any version of Dungeons & Dragons, and is therefore covered by the Open Game License with some parts considered to be Open Game Content as a result.

The supplement is available for $1.45 from DriveThruRPG but was purchased at a reduced price thanks to a special offer. The supplement comes in two versions, a plaintext file and an eight-page PDF. Two pages of the PDF are the front and rear covers, two pages are ads, about half a page is the front matter and Contents and one page is the Open Game License.

Using this Monstrous Lair is a standard piece of text and explains what the tables are and that the supplement makes two assumptions; the GM has a map of the lair and stats for monsters and details of any treasure.

After an introductory paragraph on witches, the d10 tables follow.

1: Outside the Lair is a description of what the characters might see as they approach.

2: What’s Going On? is what the witch might be doing.

3: Major Lair Features are more significant pieces of dressing.

4: Minor Lair Features are similar but more minor.

5: Witch’s Appearance is what the witch looks like.

6: Treasure has nothing with a given monetary value, but many definitely odd things.

7: Trinkets & Trash are more at the trinket end of the scale than the trash.

Monstrous Lair #17: Witch’s Hovel in Review

The PDF is bookmarked with major and minor sections linked. The Contents is to a similar level of depth and is hyperlinked. Navigation is good. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be free of errors. There is a single piece of black and white stock art. Presentation is okay.

As is customary for the series, this supplement is for describing a specific creature and their lair, and this keeps more towards stuff suitable for such than some do. There are some distinctly odd things the witch might be doing and the witch descriptions vary from the traditional withered old crone to one like a typical peasant, assuming peasants wear necklaces of bones. There are a range of oddities for the place, as befits a someone associated with odder types of magic. Monstrous Lair #17: Witch’s Hovel is a decent little supplement and it can be found by clicking here.